Exposure To Common Cold Virus May Protect From COVID-19: Study

The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, found that rhinovirus, the common respiratory virus, jump-starts activity of interferon-stimulated genes. These genes trigger early-response molecules in the immune system which can stop reproduction of SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid.

Exposure to the virus that causes common cold can provide protection against infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind COVID-19, according to a study. The research, published on Tuesday in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, found that rhinovirus, the common respiratory virus, jump-starts the activity of interferon-stimulated genes. These genes trigger early-response molecules in the immune system which can stop reproduction of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within airway tissues infected with the cold, the researchers said. Triggering these defences early in the course of COVID-19 infection holds promise to prevent or treat the infection, said senior study author, Ellen Foxman, assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine in the US.